FROM TODAY, PARENTS of all babies born at Cork University Maternity Hospital (CUMH) will be offered a hearing screening test for their newborn prior to being discharged from hospital.

This free test is for all babies and any baby who does not have a clear response in one or both ears from the test will be seen for a full hearing assessment at the audiological clinic in Cork University Hospital (CUH).

The CUMH is the first hospital in Ireland chosen to implement the new national Newborn Hearing Screening Programme.

One to two babies in every 1,000 are born with a hearing loss in one or both ears, and most babies born with a hearing loss are born into families with no history of hearing loss.

The non-invasive screening is usually carried out while the baby is settled or sleeping, with a parent present.

Babies born during the HSE’s homebirths scheme will also be included in the programme.

In Europe, different countries have different rules for screening newborns. In Germany, a law introducing UNHS was passed, but the responsibility for implementation lies with the federal lands.

There are 37 US states with statutes related to universal newborn hearing screening.

There has been no nationwide program in the Republic of Ireland up to now – the previous nationwide programme was introduced in the 1950s and involved older babies.

The Departments of Otolaryngology and Audiology, Galway University Hospital implemented a UNHS progam in two hospitals in the West of Ireland in 2000, at University College Hospital Galway and Castlebar General Hospital Co Mayo.

Read more about the test here>